Review: Canadian Boyfriend

I’m a big fan of Jenny Holiday - both her as a person and her writing. I even got the chance to interview her and Farah Heron at a literary festival last year! So, naturally, I was going to be excited about whatever book she wrote next. Add in the fact that it was called Canadian Boyfriend and I was definitely going to read it. Read it I did - and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Here’s the book’s description:

The fake Canadian boyfriend. It's a thing. The get out of jail free card for all kinds of sticky social situations. “I can't go to prom; I'm going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada.” It's all over pop culture. But Aurora Evans did it first. Once upon a time she met a teenage hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. He was a boy. She may have fudged the “friend” part a little, but it wasn't like she was ever going to see him again. It wasn't like she hurt anyone. Until she did—years later—on both counts.
When pro hockey player and recent widower Mike Martin walks into the dance studio where Aurora Evans teaches, he's feeling overwhelmed with the fact that his wife may not have been exactly who he thought she was and the logistics of going back to work. As one of the few people his angry, heartbroken daughter connects with, Aurora agrees to be a pseudo nanny to help him navigate the upcoming school year and hockey season. To his surprise, she turns out to be the perfect balm for him as well. Aurora gets him. The real him underneath his pro jersey. And yet, he still finds himself holding back, unable to fully trust again—especially when he finds out the secret Aurora’s been hiding from him.

I was a wee bit worried about the single parent storyline. Traditionally, I’m not a fan. But I didn’t mind this one at all and I think it has to do with the fact that Olivia is older. She’s her own person and her personality and issues were just as important as Rory and Mike’s were. I felt for the kid and was hoping for a tween version of a non-romantic Happily Ever After for her because she sure as hell deserved it.

I gotta say, though, I didn’t buy the Third Act Breakup. This might get a bit spoilery so skip this if you hate any hint of anything. Right. So throughout the whole novel, Rory is struggling with whether or not to tell Mike that they had actually met in passing years before and, wouldn’t you know it, he inspired her to create a fake boyfriend. When she does eventually tell him, he’s pissed. Which I found stupid. I also found it slightly silly that Rory was so worried about telling him but I guess it makes sense since he reacted just as she expected him to. It just didn’t work for me - even with Mike’s hangups about lying (which I also struggled with but I could kind of get it) and Rory’s tendency to be a doormat (her and her BFF’s terms, not mine) - and it was a bit of a bummer to deal with right at the end of the book.

Also - why on earth did Rory refer to him as Mike Martin throughout the entire novel? It was so bizarre. The chapters alternated perspectives and whenever Rory was talking about/describing interactions with Mike, it was almost always “Mike Martin” instead of just Mike. I don’t get it and I’m weirdly fixated on it. *shrugs*

I loved how therapy and looking after one’s mental health was so important in this book and was approached in such a positive light. Mike was doing everything he could to make sure he and his daughter were mentally healthy after Sarah’s death, and that included therapy for the both of them. And it was at his urging that Rory finally went back to therapy herself. They talked about it openly together, and with their friends, and it was all just so…normal. While it wasn’t great that they had such serious issues to work through - grief for Mike and anxiety/panic attacks/eating disorder for Rory - it was great to read about how they were getting the help they needed in a romance novel.

You don’t have to like sports to like this novel. Yes, Mike is a professional hockey player and there are lots of references to the sport but Rory is a total newbie and things are explained well to her (and, by proxy, to any reader who doesn’t know hockey). And for those of us who do know a little bit about the sport, we’re not bored with info we already know. It was well done. I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of a hockey player dating a (former) ballerina and how Holiday approached the toxicity of the world of ballet.

As you can tell, there’s a lot to unpack with this romance novel. But even with all of the serious (and incredibly important) topics, Canadian Boyfriend is, at its core, a romance. I loved the little Canadianisms sprinkled throughout and fell in love with all the characters. I’m so glad we’re going to get Gretchen’s book next! I think Jenny Holiday has a winner on her hands with this romance and I think other readers will agree.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Bet on It

I may have requested Jodie Slaughter’s novel Bet on It because I needed an audiobook to read but I thought it sounded like a really lovely romance. As a white woman who does not have diagnosed anxiety, I enjoyed the different perspective the novel gave me. As an avid romance reader? Well, I didn’t particularly care about the rest of the story.

Here’s the book’s description:

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems.
In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up.
A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored.

I didn’t really understand the bingo bet Aja and Walker made. It seemed like they were children trying to use bribes to get what they wanted but also stop them from having too much of what they wanted (sex, I mean sex)? They’re adults and I found the whole “bet” thing immature (and confusing). Of course I knew they’d end up falling for each other and using the bet as an excuse to keep themselves from getting hurt but I also knew it wouldn’t help and they’d end up together in a Happily Ever After moment. Usually, I don’t mind knowing the way a romance is going to go but I have to care about the journey to that HEA. I didn’t care here and it was unfortunate.

I also just didn’t quite get the chemistry between the two of them. Maybe I missed something important, but it just sort of seemed like there was some physical attraction and that was that. There was an emotional-ish connection as they both had mental health challenges (I want to say anxiety and panic attacks, and maybe depression and also PTSD but I didn’t make notes and don’t have a copy to check). I appreciated that part of the story but it felt separate to everything else somehow. It kind of felt like I was reading about the diagnoses, not human characters.

Also, I’d love to never have a woman’s thighs be mentioned so much ever again in any novel I read. I got it the first time Slaughter mentioned Aja’s legs. She wasn’t a teeny thing (and I loved that). But there was no need to bring it up non-stop, especially by Walker.

The novel was narrated by Angel Pean and I felt she did a good job (but, honestly, I could be wrong - I've put this book out of my mind quite a bit). But from what I remember, she helped me be as immersed as I could be with this story and I’ll definitely keep my eyes out for other books she narrates.

Bet on It should have been a fun romance with great representation from under-written points of view. Jodie Slaughter nailed the rep but the rest of the story? Not so much. Maybe I’ll read another from her, maybe I won’t. Life’s too short for “fine” books!

*An advanced listening copy (ALC) was provided by the publisher, Macmillan Audio, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: The Charm Offensive

I had heard of The Charm Offensive, Alison Cochrun's debut novel, well before it published on September 7. I thought it looked like fun but then I heard a lot of fellow bloggers and bookstagrammers absolutely buzzing about it. I wanted in! And, good news, I enjoyed it just as much as everyone else has. It had everything I look for in a rom com!

Here's the book's description:

Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.
Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.
As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told. 

I think my happiness with this book was helped by the fact that I was in the mood for this kind of story when I read it. I needed something that was funny but also had a romance at the centre. Plus, this had a lot of depth to it that made for a really well balanced rom com read. 

This is the second rom com I've read in the last few months that has played on The Bachelor(ette) TV show and created their own dating reality show. Both novels (the other was If the Shoe Fits which I also adored. Review here.) treat the shows in a similar way. It's not really about finding true love. It's now about making a name for yourself and promoting your own brand or furthering a business agenda. There are some people, like Dev, who want to fall for the over the top romance of it all - the elaborate dates and so on - and it's hard for them to realize that the show is not real life and no one is as invested in the love story as they are. The book pokes a bit of fun at the people who watch the show but also acknowledges that shows like that are an entertaining escape for some people and there's not really anything too wrong with that. (Full disclosure: I used to watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette but I gave it up many years ago for all the reasons you'd assume but if people still want to watch it, it doesn't bother me any.)

Reading as Charlie opened up to Dev was wonderful. You can tell that it is extremely difficult for him and also that there's A Reason Charlie decides to do so with Dev. He's closed off from so many people but there's something about Dev that he trusts. He doesn't realize it at first but we, the reader of the rom com (emphasis on rom) knows that it's more than a friendship connection there. And it's not just Charlie who's opening up and discovering some Major Things about himself. Dev is forced to realize some hard truths as well - things that he's been avoiding thinking about or doing anything about because it was too hard. So, yes, I suppose you could say that Charlie and Dev made each other better. But I think a more accurate way to put it is they were able to be more honest and more of their true selves with each other. And isn't that the best thing to ask for in a partner?

This book is funny, too! There were so many laugh out loud moments and I thought Cochrun started the book perfectly by setting up the reality TV dating scene and giving the reader a number of hilarious moments right off the bat. I loved how clever and quirky both Dev and Charlie were and their banter - when Charlie allowed himself to let loose - was great.

The Charm Offensive is a book to read for all rom com lovers. Especially if you like reading about couples that we haven't seen nearly enough of in mainstream fiction. Alison Cochrun's novel is an absolute delight and I hope many, many others discover that for themselves soon!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye

I've been reading Jacquelyn Middleton for a few years now and I love how sweet, real, and entertaining her novels are. Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye was released in November 2020 and I found myself saving it until I needed a contemporary romance mood booster. I finally read it early in 2021 and enjoyed being whisked away to London while learning more about a character readers had met in an earlier novel.

Here's the synopsis:

Leia Scott has sworn off love. Fresh from a messy, public divorce from her hockey player ex, the twenty-six-year-old fashion designer temporarily trades New York for London to heal and embrace her freedom. Her vow? To protect her heart, steer clear of relationships, and say yes to flings without strings. She throws herself into designing upcycled dresses and exploring London with her sister. But Leia’s carefully curated plan encounters a flirty complication with an irresistible British accent.

Wealthy, charming, and devastatingly attractive, Tarquin Balfour is tired of meaningless hookups and dates that go nowhere. For years, he has played the bon viveur with reckless abandon, throwing decadent parties, sleeping with a parade of women, and diving into extreme sports around the globe. But now the young property developer wants more. He craves love and commitment, to prove his kind heart matters more than the abundance of zeroes attached to his bank balance. Struggling with undiagnosed depression, Tarquin worries he’ll never find The One…until he meets his princess, a fashion designer named Leia.

Afraid of falling in love and fearful of being alone, Leia and Tarquin enter into an entanglement that threatens to hurt them both.

I didn't quite love this one as much as I wanted to. And, the most frustrating thing is, I don't know why. It could have been that the characters didn't become as three dimensional as I'd like. I got a good sense of them but it felt surface level, apart from their real and honest talks about their mental health. The story also overlaps with Middleton's previous novels and characters we've already met popped up. I liked that but it also sometimes felt like the story was being shoehorned into a world that had already been created. They fit into the world, of course, but I think I would have liked a story that was just Tarquin and Leia's. 

Back to the mental health aspect of the story. I so appreciate that Middleton is an Own Voices author when it comes to talking about anxiety and depression. Her characters have honest conversations (eventually) about their struggles and how what they're going through doesn't always "look" like depression. It's not preachy, it's not especially difficult to read. It's just there, matter of fact. Which I think is so important. We all know someone who has depression and/or anxiety and I'm sure we're all discovering that our mental health has taken a major hit over the past ten months. I am so glad authors like Middleton lay it all out there in a way that should help others understand and find a bit more compassion and empathy.

I really enjoyed the armchair travel Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye provided, especially because my sister is currently living in London, where most of the novel was set. She can't travel to most of the places in the novel right now because of a third lockdown, but it still made me feel closer to her, somehow. Middleton has family in the UK so she is very familiar with the locations she writes about. That helped make it feel even more real and also made me desperate to visit England again! I especially want to get back to Scotland to see more of the country including the Orkney Islands where Leia and Tarquin spend some time with his family. It sounds magical!

Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye is a great contemporary romance to read if you're looking to escape to another city (or, if you happen to live in London, escape to a city you can't explore right now) or if you want to enjoy a love story that's meant to be even if the characters fight against it. I'm looking forward to what Jacquelyn Middleton writes next.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Until the Last Star Fades

I already knew Jacquelyn Middleton is wonderfully skilled at creating characters and stories that can find their way into your heart and stick there. I loved her London series (London Belongs to Me is the first and London Can You Wait?, which I reviewed here, is the second) and wondered if she could create even more characters I would fall in love with. Short answer? Oh, yes. She definitely could. Until the Last Star Fades is just wonderful.

Here's the synopsis:

Touching, heartfelt and passionate, UNTIL THE LAST STAR FADES blurs the line between slow-burn romance and women's fiction, and is a must-read for hopeful romantics, devoted daughters, and the moms they cherish.
COULD YOU BE THE ONE WHO CHANGES EVERYTHING?
In her senior year at NYU, Riley Hope appears to be on top of the world. With a loving mother who makes Lorelai Gilmore look like a parenting slacker, ride-or-die friends, and a long-time boyfriend destined for the National Hockey League, she puts on a smile for the world. But behind it, she’s drowning. Racked with fears for the future, she battles to stay afloat amid life in the shadows of a heartbreaking illness.
And then, Ben Fagan comes crashing into her life. Twenty-three-years-old, British, and alone in the Big Apple after a disastrous pilot season in LA, the struggling actor is looking for an escape: booze, mischief, sex—minimum commitment, maximum fun—anything to avoid returning across the pond.
As they form an unlikely bond, Riley keeps her reality from Ben so that he remains a happy refuge. But how long can she hold back the truth…and is Ben keeping his own secrets, too?
From the award-winning author of LONDON BELONGS TO ME and LONDON, CAN YOU WAIT?, comes a bittersweet story about love, loss, sacrifice, and the life-changing decisions we make.

I'm going to start with the one (and basically only) thing I didn't like about the book. I didn't like that Riley was dating someone else at the start of it. I don't care that she wasn't happy and wasn't (exactly) crushing on Ben when she first met him. It just left me with a bit of an icky feeling since I knew she'd somehow be ending up with Ben (that's not a spoiler - you know how a contemporary story like this is going to end from the get go) and I wasn't sure how it was going to go. Did everything go the way it was meant to? Yes, but that doesn't change how not-ok I felt knowing what would have to happen to get the soulmates together. Is it a deal-breaker? Absolutely not. It may even be a really personal thing but it's a thing I didn't love and I needed to mention it.

BUT. The rest of it? Oh so lovely.

Middleton really shone a light on depression in this book and I am so here for it. It's a necessary thing to talk about in real life and to read about in novels. I know some people got frustrated with Alex's anxiety in her other books which, in turn, frustrates me. We read, in part, to see things from other people's perspectives. And reading books where the main character has a mental health issue is so important.

To build on the above, I love that Middleton is able to create characters who are so real and are dealing with real issues. Until the Last Star Fades isn't a super lighthearted read - the synopsis doesn't mention one of the most heartbreaking parts of the story so I won't mention it either - but it manages to have so much love and hope that you can endure the really hard moments. None of the characters she created is having an especially easy time of it (quite the opposite, really) but they have each other. But oh my word. The emotional gut punches Middleton throws at you will have you reaching for your favourite people for a huge hug.

I wouldn't call this book a romance even though a major plot point in the story is Riley and Ben realizing that they've been stupid and should stop fighting their feelings because they totally belong together. (Ahem. I might feel strongly about this.) This book is about so much more than their love story. Both Riley and Ben had to figure out their own shit problems before they were going to be any good to each other and I think that's why the slow burn of their relationship totally works. They couldn't have hopped right into a relationship because it would have failed. Seeing the two of them evolve and grow as people is almost more satisfying than a romantic Happily Ever After. Almost. (I love me some romance.)

Bonus: those who have read Middleton's other novels will love that Mark and Alex make a cameo in this novel!

Until the Last Star Fades is one of those books that my review just won't do it justice. I recommend picking up Jacquelyn Middleton's latest novel - just out today! - and diving into a story that will pull all your heartstrings and leave you thinking about it long after you finish it. It will make you laugh, swoon, and probably cry but that's ok. The best books are those that make you feel all the feels and Middleton's latest is no exception.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: London Can You Wait?

At some point in 2016 I started hearing about a book called London Belongs to Me. It was a debut novel and it sounded really good. One day it came up on sale so I snapped it up on my ereader and then, a few weeks later, I was asked to review it for the other blog I sometimes review for, Novel Escapes. (You can find my review here.) Clearly I had wanted to read it so I agreed to review it for some extra exposure for the author. And guys? I adored it. It wasn't perfect but it was really good. So good, in fact, that I bought a Kobo gift card for my sister (who was working on a cruise ship at the time) so she could buy it too (she's a sucker for stories set in London). I was so excited when I learned Jacquelyn Middleton would be writing a sequel. London, Can You Wait? was just as delightful as the first book!

Here's the synopsis:

Alex loves Mark. Mark loves Alex. But is love enough?
Since moving to London from the US, twenty-four-year-old Alex Sinclair seems to have it all: a coveted job writing for the theatre, supportive friends, and the man of her dreams—gorgeous Irish actor, Mark Keegan. But in the year since the acclaimed debut of her play, Alex and Mark’s lives have been turned upside down.
Thanks to his role on a smash-hit British TV show, Mark is catapulted to stardom. Alex couldn’t be happier—until her boyfriend’s popularity and insatiable drive to succeed means they’re apart more than they’re together. Forced to share Mark with showbiz heavy-hitters, intrusive press, and unrelenting fangirls, Alex’s hopes for a stable and committed life with him start to fade. Her struggles with panic attacks, career uncertainty, and Mark’s increasingly worrisome behaviour make her wonder: how much more can she bend before she breaks?
A passionate tale of secrets, loss, and ambition, London, Can You Wait? is the eagerly-awaited sequel to Middleton’s debut novel, London Belongs to Me.

The story starts about a year after London Belongs to Me ended. Mark and Alex are totally in love and Mark's acting star is rapidly rising. I can't imagine how it would feel to be dating an actor let alone a super famous one who is hardly ever around. I've done the long distance relationship thing and it is not easy - and we weren't even dealing with the added stress of fame. I totally understood all of Alex's emotions when it came to missing Mark and being frustrated that he was constantly putting work first. She wants to be supportive because she loves him so much but how can you be supportive when it seems like your partner doesn't care enough to be around to support you? I could even understand why she wouldn't want to have that tough conversation with Mark to explain how she was really feeling (hey, tough conversations are no picnic). But I really wanted her to. I hated that both she and Mark were hiding so much from each other. That is not a recipe for a healthy relationship.

This next part will be a tad spoiler-y but it's to be expected because it's a novel about an established couple so you know there's going to be some relationship issues. I was not thrilled with how Mark was handling his fame or what he does (and doesn't do) that ultimately breaks the pair up. But, it helped them finally face their issues and build an even stronger foundation for their relationship.

Even though it was a novel about a girl who's dating a famous actor, I found the story to be pretty realistic. Alex's relationship fears were valid and her career struggles were also authentic. Most younger twentysomethings (including myself when I was Alex's age) either have no idea what they want to do with their life (me) or know what they want to do and have trouble gaining more than a toe-hold in their industry of choice (Alex). I also loved that even though the story mostly revolved around Alex and Mark's relationship, Alex's career played an important role. This isn't just a love story which makes the novel oh so much better.

There's a massive cast of supporting characters in this novel. You'd almost expect it to be overwhelming but Middleton manages to keep everyone and everything sorted and in check. Of course, I did kind of forget who some of the characters were (it's been awhile since I read LBTM after all) but I eventually got it all sorted out in my head. Lucy is an amazing best friend to Alex and it was awesome to get to see her succeed as well. And Alex's family (her dad, step-mom, and grandmother anyway) are so supportive of Alex and I'm glad that she has them in her corner plus we, as readers, got to spend more time with them as well.

Also - that cover? Love.

I don't know what else I can really say about London, Can You Wait? other than - buy the book and read it. (But also, read London Belongs to Me first because you really will enjoy this book so much more.) It's a great read with really amazing characters who you will completely fall in love with and who you'll root for even when they're being idiots. I cannot wait to see what Jacquelyn Middleton writes next!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Kirkwall Books, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Open Heart, Open Mind

Like most Canadians, I know who Clara Hughes is. I know she's an Olympian who has won medals in both the Summer (for cycling) and Winter (for speed skating) Games. I know she's an advocate for mental health, particularly for Bell Let's Talk. But I didn't know how she got to those places. Because of that, I was really looking forward to reading her memoir, Open Heart, Open Mind.

Here's the synopsis:

The long-awaited memoir by Canada’s most celebrated Olympian and advocate for mental health.
In 2006, when Clara Hughes stepped onto the Olympic podium in Torino, Italy, she became the first and only athlete ever to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games. Four years later, she was proud to carry the Canadian flag at the head of the Canadian team as they participated in the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. But there’s another story behind her celebrated career as an athlete, behind her signature billboard smile.
While most professional athletes devote their entire lives to training, Clara spent her teenage years using drugs and drinking to escape the stifling home life her alcoholic father had created in Elmwood, Winnipeg. She was headed nowhere fast when, at sixteen, she watched transfixed in her living room as gold medal speed skater Gaétan Boucher effortlessly raced in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Dreaming of one day competing herself, Clara channeled her anger, frustration, and raw ambition into the endurance sports of speed skating and cycling. By 2010, she had become a six-time Olympic champion.
But after more than a decade in the grueling world of professional sports that stripped away her confidence and bruised her body, Clara began to realize that her physical extremes, her emotional setbacks, and her partying habits were masking a severe depression. After winning bronze in the last speed skating race of her career, she decided to retire, determined to repair herself. She has emerged as one of our most committed humanitarians, advocating for a variety of social causes both in Canada and around the world. In 2010, she became national spokesperson for Bell Canada’s Let’s Talk campaign in support of mental health awareness, using her Olympic standing to share the positive message of the power of forgiveness.
Told with honesty and passion, Open Heart, Open Mind is Clara’s personal journey through physical and mental pain to a life where love and understanding can thrive. This revelatory and inspiring story will touch the hearts of readers everywhere.

This is an extremely powerful memoir. I messaged a friend after I was only a chapter or so in telling her I already had goosebumps. Clara has an amazing story and I'm so glad she chose to write it all down and share it with us. It's written well and packs an emotional punch. She doesn't seem to hold anything back and that honest, authentic voice is one of the things that makes this memoir stand out. 

I liked how the book was set up. It starts with celebrating in Vancouver at the 2010 Winter Games. That was a big deal for Canada and for Clara, who was chosen to be the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies. I like that it started with this because those Games are imprinted in many Canadians' memories. No matter that there have been two Games since then, most people can tell you exactly where they were when they watched Sidney Crosby score the "golden goal" (I was at my boyfriend's house at university watching with him and his roommates. We spilled out into the streets like everyone else after the game was over.) I will admit that I can't remember watching Clara win bronze in 2010, though I'm sure I watched it, or at least the replays. The point is, writing about something so familiar and important to Canadians was a great way to start the memoir. I appreciated that and that the book then went backwards and then began talking about Clara's childhood.

This is a memoir that's going to make you take a look at your life. Maybe you want to do an in depth examination of how you're really doing. Maybe you recognize some of Clara's struggles as ones you're dealing with as well. Maybe you'll take a closer look at your friends and ask them if they're ok. Maybe you are in total awe of the insane work that's required to be an athlete. Maybe you're going to pay more attention to the athletes who don't get all of the attention at the next Olympic Games, not just the high profile individuals or teams. There's just so much to take away from this Clara's story.

I want everyone to read Open Heart, Open Mind. My copy will be going immediately to my mom (who was actually fortunate enough to meet Clara when she was the keynote speaker at my mom's work's fundraiser) and as soon as I finished the book I texted a friend that she had to read it (no surprise, it was already on her TBR list). So, consider this my book pusher message to everyone: read Open Heart, Open Mind. It doesn't matter if you're not into sports or even if you're not Canadian. Clara Hughes has written an amazing memoir that will, hopefully, encourage the conversation about mental health even further.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, I'm able to share with you lovely readers some books that have shaped Clara's life and career. Enjoy!

The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. This book helped me begin to understand the unusual and lonely path I was on as an athlete. Helped me accept the pursuit of human excellence and realize that not everyone was going to understand the things I learned along the way. That this was okay.

The Power of Myth, interviews with Joseph Campbell by Bill Moyer. An easier read than Campbell's more textbook reads on mythology. 'Follow your bliss', 'You cannot cure the world of sorrow but you can choose to live in joy' are a few of the many quotes that profoundly effected and directed my life in and out of sport. It's inspiring to read the passion Campbell has and how he breaks down the barriers between cultures and faiths, bringing all humans together.

Artist of Life by Bruce Lee. This is a compilation of his essays written in the years he was a philosophy student. Bruce Lee was so much more than a brilliant martial artist. He was a deep and rich individual learning and growing, always seeking a clearer way to pursue life and art. I read this book during a few of the Olympics I competed in and his reflections prompted a clearer idea of movement that led to my best races.

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. Zorba is larger than life and lives in the biggest way imaginable. This book made me and makes me want to live in a bigger way. It is tragic and joyous all at once and a beautiful display of the human condition. I read this book as a young athlete traveling the globe and it made me realize how small I could allow my life to be if I moved through the experiences I had with blinders on.

Any book by Thich Nhat Hahn. We have over 20 of his books. His reflections and ideas on mindfulness continue to shape who I am and who I evolve to be in life. He is a wonderful human being and his writings are always welcomed into our home.

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. Reading this book when I was younger made me feel less alone. I came from a dysfunctional family and was pretty confused. The protagonist was much of what I felt when I was young. I did a lot of stupid things because of this confusion. The book really resonated with me.

Siddartha by Herman Hesse. I have read and re-read this story so many times. It's about life and what you can live for. It's about gurus and teachers, about the lessons that are inside every one of us. It is an inspiring read that never fails to bring me back on the path I am meant to walk on. I just read this again during the latter part of my Appalachian Trail hike in 2015.

*A copy of this book was provided by Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*